Epic ride for re­hab project

A PRO­FES­SIONAL Dutch cy­clist will join a group of lo­cal rid­ers who are pre­par­ing for a mam­moth ride to raise money for a new drug and al­co­hol cen­tre for women.

The rid­ers will cy­cle 600km in five days, start­ing in Launce­s­ton on Jan­uary 21 and stop­ping overnight at Brid­port, St He­lens, Swansea and Port Arthur be­fore ar­riv­ing in Ho­bart on Jan­uary 25.

Other than Dutch cy­clist Wi­nanda Spoor, the group of 14 cy­clists are all am­a­teurs who have signed up to help raise $100,000 for Path­ways Tas­ma­nia’s new Moonah cen­tre.

The or­gan­i­sa­tion runs Ve­loc­ity Trans­for­ma­tions, a res­i­den­tial re­ha­bil­i­ta­tion pro­gram for 12 men. The plan now is to also op­er­ate a cen­tre for eight women, open­ing mid-year.

The pro­grams are a part­ner­ship be­tween reg­is­tered char­ity Path­ways Tas­ma­nia, Ve­loc­ity Church and Trans­for­ma­tions Aus­tralia.

“It’s go­ing to be mon­strous,” said rider and ride co-or­di­na­tor Mathew Yost.

“We are pas­sion­ate about the cause. The goal is $100,000 ... ev­ery cent we raise will go straight to the res­i­den­tial cen­tre.”